Beyond the Horn

CHAPTER 8: ANNALIESE

Annaliese couldn't stop smiling.

Sitting with Lucy and Susan, watching the sun set over the cliffs around them, she found herself grinning and beaming proudly. Kara had been willing to sacrifice herself for Lucy. Annaliese had to be honest; she really did love her sister. Sometimes Kara seemed so brave and strong.

"I can't believe Kara put herself between me and the bear," Lucy shook her head where it rested on Susan's shoulder.

"She loves you," Annaliese said with a smile. "She really loves you. She gets super protective over the people she cares about."

"I've never seen this side of her though," Susan said. "Why is that? Annaliese, you're her sister and you probably know her better than anybody."

Annaliese shrugged with a laugh. "She's a mystery, but she doesn't like crowds or attention so she does her best not to stand out."

"Annaliese," Lucy looked over at her. "We owe you an explanation. About Narnia before. I want to tell you about it, when we came here two years ago."

So she did. Annaliese sat, enthralled, as Lucy and Susan took turns telling their story. Annaliese giggled and smiled when Lucy spoke fondly of Mr. Tumnus and how she met him. "Oh, the conversations we had," Lucy smiled wistfully. "I miss him. He was such a good friend." Here she bit her lip and looked miserable, so Susan took over and talked about how the rest of them discovered Narnia in the wardrobe. "We didn't believe Lucy," she said guiltily. "We were proved wrong." Switching back and forth now, Lucy and Susan eagerly spoke of meeting the Beavers, their horror when Edmund left to go to the White Witch, and their journey to the Stone Table, where Aslan and an entire army of Narnians waited.

At the end, after Annaliese had heard all about their side of the story, Lucy and Susan told her about the Golden Age, the time the Kings and Queens ruled and protected Narnia. They grew up here. This land was their true home. They forgot about their lives before, until the day they returned, quite by accident, through the wardrobe.

When Lucy and Susan were unable to think of anything more to say, it was a mere two hours later, according to Annaliese's watch. An indescribable longing for the Narnia that once was filled Annaliese. The familiarity of this land, the odd sense that she had seen this country before, confused her. Perhaps it was best she keep her scrambled feelings to herself for now.

Peter had started a fire by now and was reclined next to it, staring up at the night sky. Stars twinkled above, so much brighter than at home, Annaliese thought as she, Lucy, and Susan joined Peter.

"Where's Trumpkin?" Lucy asked.

"He's over there," Peter pointed to the water's edge far down the beach. "I suppose it's hard for him too, having us back after we left." His tone was bitter, and the girls exchanged miserable glances before they sat next to him, Lucy snuggling up against his side.

"Edmund and Kara still aren't back yet?" Annaliese felt a flutter of worry. Had something happened to them?

"They're still by the trees," Peter replied, relaxing at the mention of them. "They're talking, I guess."

Annaliese was instantly curious, but she knew better than to go pry. It wasn't hard to see that Edmund and Kara had hit it off, that there was something about the both of them that let them bond quickly. She couldn't pinpoint what it was, but she smiled, knowing that it could turn into something more. But they were both yet sixteen. There was no telling what could happen.

"Peter," Annaliese began hesitantly, and the boy gave her his full attention. She hadn't directly approached him before, ever, so if she was talking to him now, it had to be important.